Hanging file support structure

ABSTRACT

A combination of separate components fabricated for shipment in knock-down form which may be readily assembled to provide a simple secure support frame for hanging file folders, often referred to as suspension files. Four corners of the structure comprise junctures of the longitudinal side bars, crossbars, and leg supports for the structure. The leg support member is generally U-shaped and has a Z-shaped configuration near the top of each leg of the U to support the other members joined thereto. Both the leg support and the side bar are fabricated with elongated apertures near their ends. The crossbar is provided with an extended tongue member shaped to fit the elongated apertures of the leg support and side bar for each corner juncture. On assembly, the tongue member of the crossbar is forced into the apertures of the associated side bar and leg support with a loose press-fit which holds the entire unit assembled. The side bars preferably are fabricated with additional apertures and predetermined break lines so that the structure may be adapted to fit in file drawers of various lengths or, if desired, to be mounted transversely in a file drawer. In an alternative arrangement, the side bars are provided with recessed notches arranged to match and engage the crossbars for added rigidity.

United States Patent [191 Irvine et al.

1 HANGING FILE SUPPORT STRUCTURE [75] Inventors: David Irvine, LookoutHeights, Ky.;

Earl Barlow; John K. Carnes, both of Cincinnati, Ohio; William F.Schmidt, Dry Ridge, Ky.

[73] Assignee: Lit-Ning Products Co., Florence,

22 Filed: Jan. 2, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 320,582

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No.284,227, Aug. 28,

1972, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl 211/45, 211/175, 211/177, 211/184, 312/184 [51] Int. ClB.42f 17/08 [58] Field of Search 211/11, 45, 46, 162, 175, 211/177, 184,143; 312/184; 248/165 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS2,278,403 3/1942 Jonas 312/184 2,336,802 12/1943 Posner 211/45 X2,810,388 10/1957 Conley et al 211/46 X 2,852,028 9/1958 Patterson etal... 211/162 3,208,456 9/1965 Peebles 312/184 3,266,496 8/1966 West eta] 211/46 X 3,356,228 12/1967 Woodhouse.... 211/45 3,606,023 9/1971Edmunds 211/177 X 3,651,950 3/1972 Carter 211/177 3,734,300 5/1973Carter 211/177 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 968,265 9/1964 GreatBritain 312/184 1,168,660 9/1958 France 312/184 51 Jan. 14, 1975 PrimaryExaminer-Roy D. Frazier Assistant ExaminerThomas .1. Holko Attorney,Agent, or FirmHenry M. Bissell [57] ABSTRACT A combination of separatecomponents fabricated for shipment in knock-down form which may bereadily assembled to provide a simple secure support frame for hangingfile folders, often referred to as suspension files. Four corners of thestructure comprise junctures of the longitudinal side bars, crossbars,and leg supports for the structure. The leg support member is generallyU-shaped and has a Z-shaped configuration near the top of each leg ofthe U to support the other members joined thereto. Both the leg supportand the side bar are fabricated with elongated apertures near theirends. The crossbar is provided with an extended tongue member shaped tofit the elongated apertures of the leg support and side bar for eachcorner juncture. On assembly, the tongue member of the crossbar isforced into the apertures of the associated side bar and leg supportwith a loose press-fit which holds the entire unit assembled. The sidebars preferably are fabricated with additional apertures andpredetermined break lines so that the structure may be adapted to fit infile drawers of various lengths or, if desired, to be mountedtransversely in a file drawer. In an alternative arrangement, the sidebars are provided with recessed notches arranged to match and engage thecrossbars for added rigidity.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures HANGING FILE SUPPORT STRUCTURECROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is acontinuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 284,227,filed Aug. 28, 1972, for HANGING FILE SUPPORT STRUCTURE, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to suspension file support structures, and more particularly tosuch a structure adapted for mounting within a file drawer to supporthanging files therein.

2. Description of the Prior Art Hanging or suspension type file systemshave been in use for many years and particularly comprise a supportframe of some type having a pair of longitudinal side rails whichsupport pockets for file folders and other items that are to be filedwithin the drawer. The pockets hang from cross members adapted to engagethe side rails and which are movable therealong and may be readilyremoved if desired.

It is virtually essential that the support frames be so designed as topermit shipment in knock-down form and ready assembly for use asdesired. Being designed to fit within a file drawer without diminishingthe space to be occupied by the files therein, storage of the unitswithin the drawers in use is no problem. However, if they are to beremoved from the drawers, they must be capable of disassembly, sinceotherwise their generally rectangular parallelepiped configurationresults in their occupying substantially as much volume as the drawerfrom which they are removed. Furthermore, although they must be capableof easy assembly and disassembly and must occupy a minimum of space inthe knockdown form for shipping or storage, they must be capable ofassembly into a strong, rigid structure, since they are used to supportthe weight of the file folders and storage pockets within a full-sizefile drawer.

One common type of suspension file frame which has enjoyed popularity inrecent years utilizes a lever-type of locking mechanism for securing andretaining the various components of the unit together upon assembly. Anexample of such may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,228 of W. T.Woodhouse. This uses a pivotable lever coupled to a threading mechanismfor tightening the assembled unit to rigidly lock the components of ajoint together. A similar structure which has been on the market forseveral years utilizes a cam-ramp and lever assembly which locks a pairof gripping surfaces together to establish a rigid corner joint. Suchmechanisms are more expensive to manufacture, are more cumbersome, andsometimes are too complicated for certain office personnel to usereadily, and may also exhibit a tendency to come unfastened in use.

Other types of file folder support frames have beenv developed whichrely on other types of arrangements to develop a desired fastening atthe corner joint. British Pat. No. 791,837 describes a unit utilizing athreaded member to lock a rail in position within a slot. U.S. Pat. No.3,266,496 of West et al. describes a slotted support member in whichspecially shaped side rails may be mounted. However, such units do notprovide an entirely satisfactory answer to the problems of ease andeconomy of fabrication, ease and simplicity of assembly, and strengthand rigidity of the joints and support structure for hanging filefolders, all of which problems must be resolved in exemplary fashion toachieve a truly satisfactory and commercially successful structure ofthe type described herein.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providean improved configuration of hanging file support frame which is simpleand cheap to manufacture, may be readily assembled by anyone of normalintelligence and manual dexterity, and results in a strong, rigidstructure which is self-support and selfretaining in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In brief, arrangements in accordance with thepresent invention accord to the structure described in the abstract ofthe disclosure hereinabove, which abstract is incorporated herein byreference. There are three basic components, repeated in pairs, for asingle file folder support frame: a side rail having rectangular slotsnear its two ends, a U-shaped support member having Z- shapedconfigurations with rectangular slots near its two ends, and a crossbarhaving its two ends shaped to form an elongated tongue portion ofrectangular crosssection with transverse dimensions coordinated to fitwithin the rectangular apertures of the' side bar and support member.The longitudinal dimension of the tongue portions is as to extendthrough the side bar and the support member without protruding beyond toany undesirable extent.

To assemble the three components at a corner joint, the tongue portionof the crossbar is first moved through the aperture of the side bar andthen into the aperture of the support member. The dimensions of therespective components are such that the three components are heldtogether by frictional engagement resulting from the loose press-fit ofthe tongue portion of the crossbar within the apertures in the side barand the support member while at the same time the side bar and crossbarare supported by the support member, both by virtue of the engagement ofthe tongue portion of the crossbar. through the side bar into the slotof the support member and by the fact that the side bar bears againstthe horizontal part of the Z-shaped portion of the support member. Thusby virtue of the interlocking relationship of this configuration, a verysecure and rigid support frame is provided which can be easily assembledand disassembled as desired.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the side rails areprovided with additional slots and break lines at selected points sothat one may shorten the side rails to fit various sizes of file drawersand, indeed, may adapt the unit for mounting transversely of a filedrawer rather than longitudinally if desired, simply by using a pair ofpliers or like tool to bend the side rail at the break linecorresponding with the length desired. The slot adjacent the break linethus selected then becomes the slot which is used for engagement withthe crossbar and support member in setting up the frame for the desiredlength.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, in alternativeembodiments thereof, additional arrangements by way of structuralconfiguration are provided for developing increased rigidity of thejoints of the assembled units. These may comprise recessed notches alongthe side bars to mate with the cross-section of the U-shaped supportmembers, as well as the provision of a U-shaped channel for at least theend portions of the cross-bars to engage the joint portions of thecrossbars.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING A better understanding of the presentinvention may be had from a consideration of the following detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a-file drawer, partially broken away,showing an arrangement in accordance with the invention in conventionaluse;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the invention asassembled for use;

FIG. 3 is an expanded view of a portion of the arrangement of FIG. 2shown disassembled for further detail;

FIG. 4 is an outline view of an alternative configuration of a portionof the invention for use in the arrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an expanded view of the portion of the arrangement of FIG. 2showing the use of the alternative structure of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of an alternative elementwhich may also be used in the arrangement of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, ahanging file support structure 10in accordance with the presentinvention comprises a pair of side bars 12, a pair of crossbars 14, anda pair of end supports 16. These are assembled in the configurationshown and are designed to be placed in a conventional file drawer suchas the unit of FIG. 1 and provided with file pockets 22 for the storageof file folders therein. The file pockets 22 are provided with members24for slidably engaging the side rails 12 so that the pockets 22 may bemoved to various positions on the support structure 10 and may beinserted and removed as desired.

From the details shown in FIG. 3, which is an expanded, exploded view ofa joint of the support structure 10, it will be noted that the end ofthe side bar 12 is provided with a rectangular slot 30, while the end ofthe support structure 16 is provided with a slot 31. The end of thecrossbar 14 is cut to develop an extended rectangular tongue portion 32and 'a pair of shoulders 34. The slots 30, 31 are alike in dimensionsand adapted to receive the tongue portion 32 with slight frictionalengagement so that the three components l2, l4 and 16 are held togetherupon assembly but may be disassembled upon the application of a slightforce to pull them apart. The shoulders 34 bear against the side bar 12adjacent the slot 30 and maintain the side bar 12 against the end of thesupport member 16 to hold it in position, also ensuring that the sidebar 12 receives vertical support from the horizontal part 36 of the Z-shaped end portion of the support member 16. The extended tongue portion32 of the crossbar 14 is provided near its outer extremity with atapered section 38 to assist in guiding the tongue portion 32 into theslots 30, 31 and thus facilitate assembly of the three components 12, 14and 16 into a suitable joint for the support structure 10.

Additional slots 40 and 41 are provided in the side rails 12 adjacentassociated break lines 42 and 43, respectively. These are intended to beused for breaking off portions of the side rails 12 if the device 10 isto be shortened for use in a smaller drawer or, in the case of the slot41 and break line 43, where the support structure 10 is to be mountedtransversely, rather than longitudinally, in a drawer such as 20 (FIG.1).

The fashioning of the end support member 16 in a U- shaped configurationsuch that both vertical legs thereof are joined by the bottom memberadvantageously serves to add rigidity to the unit by eliminatingall-lateral stress on the joints of the members 12, 14 and 16. With thisarrangement, the only torsional stress that the structure 10 is likelyto encounter is in a plane normal to the crossbar 14, and such torsionalstress is resisted by virtue of the configuration of the slots 30, 31and the rectangular extended tongue portion 32 which effectively controlsuch forces.

FIG. 4 shows the outline of an alternative configuration of a side rail12A and FIG. 5 is an expanded view, similar to FIG. 3, showing the useof the side rail 12A in a corner joint for the structure 10 of FIGS. 1and 2.

The side rail 12A is similar to the side rail 12, shown in previousfigures, except that it is provided with recessed notches bounded byteeth 52. As indicated in FIG. 5, the side rail 12A may be assembled toan associated crossbar 14 and U-shaped support member 36 by positioningthe elements in a juxtaposition such that a selected notch 50 withadjacent teeth 52 straddles the support member 36. The longitudinaldimension of the notch 50 substantially equals the correspondingdimension of the support member 36. Insertion of the crossbar 14 tongueportion 32 as previously described completes the joint for the supportstructure 10 but with added rigidity therefor provided by virtue of theinterlocking relationship between the support member 36 and the notch 50of the side bar 12A.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative crossbar 14A which may be used if desired.This is shown as a U'shaped channel portion 54 constituting at leastpart of the crossbar 14A near the end thereof in a position to engageand overlie the corresponding segment of the U-shaped' support member36. The channel portion is dimensioned so as to bear against both edgesof the support member 36 when joined together. The crossbar 14A may beprovided with the extending tongue portion 32 as in FIGS. 3 and 5.

Although there have been described above specific arrangements of ahanging file support frame in accordance with the invention for thepurpose of illustrating the manner in which the invention may be used toadvantage, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limitedthereto. Accordingly, any and all modifications, variations orequivalent arrangements which may occur to those skilled in the art maybe considered to be within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A file support structure comprising at least one pair of sidemembers, at least one pair of cross members, and at least one pair ofsupport members, said at least one pair of side members having aperturestherein, each member in said at least one pair of support members havingat least two apertures therein, one positioned toward each extremity ofsaid each support member, each member in said at least one pair ofsupport members having a shape whereby said at least two apertures aregenerally aligned in opposition to each other, said at least one pair ofcross members each having a tongue portion configured to engage theapertures by insertion therein;

each support member being generally U-shaped with a flattened bottomsection to provide added rigidity to the structure and including aZ-shaped portion adjacent each extremity of the support member with theaperture being located in the outermost end of the Z-shaped portion andwith the middle part of the Z-shaped portion being adapted to supportthe side member vertically upon assembly therewith.

2. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said apertures arerectangular in outline and the crosssectional dimensions of the tongueportion of each cross member are rectangular and dimensioned so as tofit within the apertures with frictional engagement on the interiorsurfaces of the apertures.

3. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein each cross member isprovided with at least one shoulder adjacent said tongue portion forbearing against a side member and retaining it adjacent a supportmember.

4. A structure in accordance with claim 3 wherein said tongue portionfurther comprises a tapered end for facilitating insertion of saidtongue portion within the aperture of an adjacent member.

5. A file support structure comprising at least one pair of sidemembers, at least one pair of cross members, and at least one pair ofsupport members, said at least one pair of side members having aperturestherein, each member in said at least one pair of support members havingat least two apertures therein, one positioned toward each extremity ofsaid each support member, each member in said at least one pair ofsupport members having a shape whereby said at least two apertures aregenerally aligned in opposition to each other, said at least one pair ofcross members each having a tongue portion configured to engage theapertures by insertion therein;

each of said side members having along an edge thereof at least onerecessed notch bounded by teeth spaced apart by a distance substantiallyequal to the dimension of each of said support members in the directionaligned with a side member.

6. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein each side memberfurther comprises a plurality of additional apertures aligned along theside member and a plurality of break lines respectively located betweenadjacent apertures to permit shortening of the side member bypredetermined increments by breaking off sections thereof at the breaklines.

7. A structure in accordance with claim 5 wherein each of said sidemembers includes a plurality of adjacent recessed notches along one edgethereof separated by teeth which are spaced apart by distances equal tothe dimension of a support member extending in the direction alignedwith a side member.

8. A structure in accordance with claim 5 wherein each of said crossmembers includes along at least a portion thereof a U-shaped channelportion dimensioned and positioned to engage a portion of a supportmember at the junction therewith.

1. A file support structure comprising at least one pair of sidemembers, at least one pair of cross members, and at least one pair ofsupport members, said at least one pair of side members having aperturestherein, each member in said at least one pair of support members havingat least two apertures therein, one positioned toward each extremity ofsaid each support member, each member in said at least one pair ofsupport members having a shape whereby said at least two apertures aregenerally aligned in opposition to each other, said at least one pair ofcross members each having a tongue portion configured to engage theapertures by insertion therein; each support member being generallyU-shaped with a flattened bottom section to provide added rigidity tothe structure and including A Z-shaped portion adjacent each extremityof the support member with the aperture being located in the outermostend of the Z-shaped portion and with the middle part of the Zshapedportion being adapted to support the side member vertically uponassembly therewith.
 2. A structure in accordance with claim 1 whereinsaid apertures are rectangular in outline and the cross-sectionaldimensions of the tongue portion of each cross member are rectangularand dimensioned so as to fit within the apertures with frictionalengagement on the interior surfaces of the apertures.
 3. A structure inaccordance with claim 1 wherein each cross member is provided with atleast one shoulder adjacent said tongue portion for bearing against aside member and retaining it adjacent a support member.
 4. A structurein accordance with claim 3 wherein said tongue portion further comprisesa tapered end for facilitating insertion of said tongue portion withinthe aperture of an adjacent member.
 5. A file support structurecomprising at least one pair of side members, at least one pair of crossmembers, and at least one pair of support members, said at least onepair of side members having apertures therein, each member in said atleast one pair of support members having at least two apertures therein,one positioned toward each extremity of said each support member, eachmember in said at least one pair of support members having a shapewhereby said at least two apertures are generally aligned in oppositionto each other, said at least one pair of cross members each having atongue portion configured to engage the apertures by insertion therein;each of said side members having along an edge thereof at least onerecessed notch bounded by teeth spaced apart by a distance substantiallyequal to the dimension of each of said support members in the directionaligned with a side member.
 6. A structure in accordance with claim 1wherein each side member further comprises a plurality of additionalapertures aligned along the side member and a plurality of break linesrespectively located between adjacent apertures to permit shortening ofthe side member by predetermined increments by breaking off sectionsthereof at the break lines.
 7. A structure in accordance with claim 5wherein each of said side members includes a plurality of adjacentrecessed notches along one edge thereof separated by teeth which arespaced apart by distances equal to the dimension of a support memberextending in the direction aligned with a side member.
 8. A structure inaccordance with claim 5 wherein each of said cross members includesalong at least a portion thereof a U-shaped channel portion dimensionedand positioned to engage a portion of a support member at the junctiontherewith.